Plus Fitness prides itself
on offering its Franchisees high levels of support from its team of in-house
Support Specialists who are on hand to make sure you are getting the most out
of your Franchise. With over 180 Franchises sold across Australia and New
Zealand, Plus Fitness has a clear goal of establishing over 200 gyms by the end
2016.

To find out more about
owning a Plus Fitness simply submit your details here and we will be in touch
to answer any initial questions.

Franchisee Testimonials

Trent and Kathy

Plus Fitness
Hornsby,
Artarmon,
Kellyville

My wife and myself very much wanted to be self employed. Our mind set was about securing a future for ourselves that would best work with our lifestyles.

Our fitness industry experience was limited to being gym users ourselves, my wife had an administration background and myself a tradesman. It was incredibly important to us to have a strong support network if we were going to push forward with this venture. Given we had no experience we decided it would be a smart business decision to set up a franchise.

How did you manage to finance the investment?

We made investments in real estate at quite a young age. Having these investments gave us the leverage that we needed for a business loan. We had quite strict budgeting and heavily over compensated for our expenses in the beginning.

How did you come to decide on this brand?

We did a lot of research into the different franchises available and Plus Fitness really impressed us. They were the fastest growing 24/7 franchise the market and more importantly they are Australian owned. All of our dealings with the Head office were incredibly positive. Even in the beginning stages of simply enquiring we felt the staff went above and beyond to help us with all of our queries. They made us feel really comfortable from the get go and in honesty get just got good vibes from Plus Fitness.

How has the franchisor training helped you in business?

We truly believe our business' wouldn't be operating as successfully as they are if we didn't have the ongoing support and training from Plus Fitness. The training makes life so much easier, there is only so much you can figure out for yourself or how far being efficient will get you. It also made it really smooth with the recruitment of staff.

What’s it like working with your partner?

Working together is great. We have both established our own strengths and weakness' and use this to our full advantage. Based on this we're able to effectively manage our business'. It also so beneficial to be able to share the work load with a like minded person. We're on the same page with managing our clubs but also the broader spectrum of where we want our business' to be.

How do you juggle your work and home life?

Juggling work and home life was a bit of struggle in the beginning. This is purely because your investing so much into this new venture, not just financially but physically and emotionally. Everybody wants to be successful so you pour everything you have into being the best you can. Our first year we had no staff, so we we're doing all the man hours ourselves while trying to mange and market. This is where our support from head office was almost a life line for us.

Being able to take a step back from the daily running of our business' helped us to create that much needed balance. You quickly learn to be incredibly time efficient!

What are your goals for the business and for yourselves?

We want to have 5 by the time we are 30 years old, then we'll stop...maybe. Our business goals are simple. We want our business' to be running smoothly and successfully. We want to have reliable staff who care about the service we provide as much as we do.

For us personally we want to start thinking about having a family. We still want to be actively involved in our gyms and we will. There is so much flexibility and room to move with the business model.

Adrian Haywood

Plus Fitness
Halls Head,
Pinjarra

Tell us a little about your work life before becoming a franchisee

I joined the Navy at the age of 16 and spent 10 years working on helicopters and traversing the globe by sea. This was a fantastic way to start to my career and really taught me what it was like to work to a strict system and part of a successful team. When I left the Navy in 2006 I joined Bristow Helicopters and spent the next 5 years working on the big Oil & Gas Helicopters. I was Engineer in Charge of the company’s largest Australian base at the time, Karratha. I had around 20-30 guys under me and was responsible for 13 large Helicopters.

Prior to buying into our first Plus Fitness 24/7 I was the Senior Base Engineer of Western Australia’s State Rescue Helicopter. RAC Rescue.

What brought you to invest in a franchise? [Was it the appeal of a new market, or the idea of a franchise?]

My Wife and I were looking for something turnkey, we even looked into existing local business’s that were on the market. Initially I wanted something that had nothing to do with Food and was 5 days a week only. A broker said, ‘That narrows it right down Pal’.

I’m not going to say all Franchises are great as I haven’t looked into them all but I did look into several 24/7 Gym Franchise models. Plus Fitness 24/7 really stood out on so many levels to be the best business choice for us, actually it was the obvious choice!

Why did you choose this brand in particular?

Once you start digging deep and looking at the fine print, a Plus Fitness Franchisee is a standout performer. Low entry cost, lowest ongoing costs, full turnkey business, great training, 100% Australian owned and from the dealings I had in the early stages of making a choice, the best service by far. My Wife and I regard John, Nigel and Amy as Family. These guys have changed our lives and we are just so thankful every day.

What skills did you bring to the business?

From a Fitness Industry Perspective, Nil.

From a compliance to business systems and truly believing in what we had just bought into, 110% commitment.

The Navy taught me systems and Rules and working for a couple of the Worlds leading Helicopter companies taught me some business sense.

The training received from Plus Fitness in the very early stages of becoming a franchisee, really gave us a lot of confidence to get into it and have a red hot crack. By the time the day came to open the doors, we felt ready. After all Plus Fitness were just a phone call away if we ran into any difficulties anyway. This is the true benefit to a Franchisee system, Ongoing support.

What has been the biggest challenge as a franchisee in a new field?

Not knowing what was normal or acceptable in a very competitive industry. Now 3 years on, we have two fantastic gyms and both are doing great. We have passionate, friendly and very helpful staff. Having a Gym is one thing but truly having a great gym comes from within the walls of a great organization.

How has the franchisor helped you gain confidence in your business?

From the very start we had full confidence in Plus Fitness and the Business System we had bought into. At times we have questioned things, mainly ourselves, but really when it comes down to it, you follow the system, your numbers look great and add up really nicely.

Our Field Manager, Amy, is just nothing short of amazing. She to owns her own Plus fitness 24/7 Gyms and manages the Plus Fitness Health Clubs (another business model in the Plus Fitness group). Ange and I have not met anyone yet, other than the Franchisors themselves (John & Nigel) that are as hard working as Amy. If we have a problem and can’t work it out, she is our solution 24/7. Plus Fitness is her love and passion, just like us.

What will you do with this business and your new-found skills?

Our goal is to be the 'go to' Fitness Centre's in the Peel area today and in 10 years time also. We are here to stay and we want to help as many people as possible to achieve their Health & Fitness goals. We truly want to have a great reputation in the local area for great service and the friendliest staff.

We want to guide/coach our Staff & Personal trainers to be the best they can be and build a long term and successful team and family inside business’s.

Fiona Smith

Plus Fitness
Penrith,
Mount Druitt,
Hazelbrook

When and why did you decide to buy a franchise?

My first contact with Plus Fitness 24/7 was as a long time member of their health clubs, which have been around for many years and were well known in the Macarthur region. I have spent my career in business banking and was fortunate enough to have Plus Fitness 24/7 as a client when they made the decision to develop the brand as a franchise. It was very exciting seeing the process and watch the company sell it's first franchise, and before I knew it they had sold their 50th and so on. I had a relationship with some of the early franchisees and they had such great things to say about their experiences, I developed a keen interest in the model and contemplated jumping ship many times from business banker to business owner.

Eventually the opportunity arose to buy a Plus Fitness 24/7 franchise in the Penrith with a business partner that was also keen to buy a franchise. This was just after I had earned my 15 years long service leave from my employer. I thought this was the perfect timing and jumped on the opportunity.

How did you go about researching the brand?

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to spend a long period of time researching the ins and outs of the brand through being a member and working with the company for a few years. I also took the opportunity to quiz existing franchisees on their experiences with starting a Plus Fitness 24/7 and I took on board a lot of tips and advice throughout this process. The company provided me with a range of tools to conduct my own market research on areas as well as tools to build a reliable cash flow forecast based on the trends and performance of existing franchises in the network.

What would you do differently in terms of the due diligence process, if anything?

I feel that we comfortably covered off on all the required areas of due diligence.

What was the major reason for you choosing this brand?

After comparing other franchise brands in the industry, I found that Plus Fitness 24/7 provided a greater level of support in both the establishment of the clubs, providing end to end support throughout the construction and presale right through to follow up support with our own dedicated Franchise Support Manager. On top of this, the entry costs were the most reasonable with greater value for money than other brands. I was also attracted to the fact that Plus Fitness 24/7 is an Australian Owned & local brand. This has many benefits including the fact that they are aware of and respond to market conditions very quickly, being local and in touch with the market.

How did you fund your franchise investment?

A part of my franchise investment was funded through my bank on a business loan and I also utilised some savings. The equipment which makes up a large portion of the initial investment was funded on an asset finance facility. Plus Fitness 24/7 has relationships with a number of financiers who know their model, so I found that we had a number of finance options available to me.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a franchisee?

The biggest lesson I have learned is to build a solid relationship with my franchisor. They have been of great assistance whenever I have needed advice. I have also learned to surround myself with people that have more experience than myself and take their advice and absorb information. I often meet with fellow franchisees for a chat and to share ideas about what is and isn't working so we can learn from each other. There is a really supportive environment between franchisees in the Plus Fitness network.

What has been the biggest challenge as a franchisee?

My biggest challenge came with the fact that I have never before this owned my own business, so I found myself on a steep learning curve in relation to all facets of business, from marketing, to HR to finance. This challenge was alleviated somewhat by having the support of a franchisor. A year and a half in, I can not believe how much I have learned and I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity to develop.

What goals have you achieved since being a franchisee?

Being a single parent with 3 young children, my goal was to achieve financial independence, and a greater work/life balance than I had as an employee. The Plus Fitness model has allowed me to achieve this, as they have established the system so that we can easily manage the clubs remotely when needed. I am able to work from home or from the club to fit in with my lifestyle.

What advice would you offer someone thinking of investing in a franchise business?

As a first time business owner, I feel that buying a franchise was the perfect way to start. When you buy a franchise, you are buying a proven system that already has the hard work of trial and error done and a recognisable brand to offer your customers. You also have the benefit of a support network which you would not have if you went out on your own.

Would you invest in this brand again?

I would definitely invest in the brand again. The experience has been very positive. In fact, since my purchase of the initial franchise in Penrith 18 months ago, I have since opened 2 more clubs and would consider opening more.

Billy and Paula

Plus Fitness
Thornleigh,
Carlingford

What was the catalyst for setting up in a franchise?

We were originally going to open a gym ourselves however we decided, that with their proven systems and industry experience, Plus Fitness was a secure option. And, in doing so, we have never looked back.

How did you manage to finance the investment?

We re-drew equity from one of our investments and then secured a loan

How did you come to decide on this brand?

We liked the fact that it was Australian owned and operated. Also, Plus Fitness' support network was far beyond any other franchises we were looking at.

How has the franchisor training helped you in business?

It has given us confidence in management, sales, marketing, project management and budgeting. Of which, many of these skills are relevant to other businesses

What’s it like working with your partner?

It is great. We compliment each other, as each of our strengths are within different aspects of our business. Billy has over 10 years Fitness industry experience and Paula has a payroll/accounting/systems based background.

How do you juggle your work and home life?

The 24/7 model provides great flexibility and lifestyle. We are able to minimize hours at work and spend more time with our family because of the remote systems and access.

What are your goals for the business and for yourselves?

Maintain our current membership base, continue to provide a quality health and fitness service within our community and raise funds for our nominated charities.

For ourselves, we would like to continue with having the flexibility, financial freedom and travel with our family.

*24 Hour Access not available at Annangrove, Kareela, Northmead, Manly and Sydney CBD (Kent St). Services may vary by location.